The meeting of the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G-7) industrial countries, which ended in London on Wednesday, restored a modicum of cohesion to the grouping after four years of acrimony, during which then US President Donald Trump obstructed consensus on key topics including trade, Russia and climate change. The London meeting yielded some strong statements on a host of issues. In relation to Asia, for example, the ministers pledged their support for a "free and open Indo-Pacific", in cooperation with Asean; condemned the military coup in Myanmar and called for an immediate restoration of democracy; opposed unilateral actions in the East and South China seas; and reiterated the call for North Korea to denuclearise.
The behaviour of China and Russia appeared to be key focal points of the latest meeting. On China, the ministers aired a long list of familiar concerns, including the disregard for rules-based trade; the treatment of ethnic minorities; the undermining of democracy in Hong Kong; and the pursuit of intellectual property theft. Russia was admonished for its "irresponsible and destabilising behaviour", including the build-up of military forces on the border with Ukraine; its undermining of other countries' democratic systems; and its "malicious cyber activity".
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